The picture
Sx4: middle-of-the-pack on first-time pass
Across 50,170 MOT tests, the Sx4 returns 75.7% first-time pass — roughly in line with the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is a broken or weak spring. A corroded brake pipe and tyre tread under the limit round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 66,872, which is the lens to read those failure rankings through. If you own one and the next test is close, the ranked list below is a sensible pre-test checklist.
Top ten reasons for rejection.
- 01
A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened
2,550 occurrences · 5.1% of tests
- 02
Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded
2,014 occurrences · 4.0% of tests
- 03
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
2,010 occurrences · 4.0% of tests
- 04
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
1,618 occurrences · 3.2% of tests
- 05
A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources
1,336 occurrences · 2.7% of tests
- 06
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen
1,011 occurrences · 2.0% of tests
- 07
A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated
910 occurrences · 1.8% of tests
- 08
A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
905 occurrences · 1.8% of tests
- 09
a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
861 occurrences · 1.7% of tests
- 10
Headlamp reflector or lens slightly defective
855 occurrences · 1.7% of tests
Counts cover Major and Dangerous defects logged at test. Advisory items excluded so this shows why a car was rejected, not just what the tester flagged in passing.
Worst-case fix budget · top 5 failures
£268–£700
If every one of this Sx4's most-logged Major fails hit at the same MOT, that's the real-world UK garage range. Reality is usually one or two items, not all of them. Open the estimator →
Try the calculator
Build your own retest budget.
Tools that pre-empt a retest.
Picked against this car's top failure patterns. Affiliate links to Amazon UK — we earn a small cut at no cost to you. Disclosed up-front, doesn't shape the data.
Item 01 · Amazon UK
Digital tyre-tread depth gauge
Five quid for a gauge beats £150 for a retest. UK MOT minimum is 1.6mm — most testers fail anything below 2mm to be safe.
Search Amazon UK
Item 02 · Amazon UK
H7 / W21W bulb pack
A spare-bulb kit lives in the boot. Test morning is not the time to find your stop-lamp's gone.
Search Amazon UK
Owner reports · Honest John
What owners actually report.
Verbatim faults logged by owners on honestjohn.co.uk over recent years. We didn't summarise — these are the words people typed in.
What's good
Suzuki says that it created the new SX4 Crossover by uniting its small-car know how with SUV thinking, and looks like it has also delivered a larger cabin in the process. It's offered with a choice of either a 1.6-litre petrol and 1.6-litre diesel engine, and the latter comes with a five-speed manual transmission as standard but there is the option of continuously variable transmission (CVT) transmission.
Where it falls short
Suzuki confirms that the SX4 S-Cross has moved into the C-sector, although really it sits between the Ecosport and Kuga in size - and probably appeals to a move off-road-oriented crowd.
Buying or keeping a Sx4?
Use the failure ranking as a pre-test checklist or a haggling lever. Treat the headline pass rate as a fleet-wide trend, not a guarantee on any individual car.
If you own a Sx4 and your last MOT looked nothing like the ranked failures above, that's normal — individual cars vary widely. The ranking shows the patterns testers flag most often across the country.